Worship and praise music, which has replaced traditional hymns in many evangelical and charismatic churches, is finding a place in concerts and the recording world. The New York Times (April) 17 reports that praise music, usually consisting of prayers and praises repeated to contemporary melodies, has become a booming business in the Christian music marketplace and through […]

Recent scientific challenges to the Book of Mormon are reshaping the self-understanding and identity of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, reports the independent Mormon magazine Sunstone (March). Recent scientific DNA confirmations that the ancient Amerindian people are of Asian genetic origin has caused considerable controversy both inside and outside Mormonism. News of a […]

They may be called “post-modern” churches or just gatherings and meetings without any ecclesiastical status, but there appears to be growing interest in alternatives to established congregational structures, including seeker and megachurches. An article on the postmodern or “Gen-X” churches in the Christian newsweekly World (April 10) notes how they stress their differences from baby boomer-led megachurhes […]

The recent sentencing of Chizuo Matsumoto, known as Shoko Asahara, the former guru of Aum Shinri-kyo, is unlikely to resolve questions of religious freedom and extremism that mark Japanese society a decade after the group led attacks on the public. Asahara, who received the death penalty, led the group in the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin […]

Christianity in China is being allowed more contact with foreign groups and sources as well finding a new embrace by public figures, reports theChristian Science Monitor (March 8). Robert Marquand writes that a “a new official formula” is taking shape allowing for a “grudging acceptance of faith, including low-level experiments with religious exchange abroad — so […]

Founded in 1953 in the Middle East, Hizb ut-Tahrir (Islamic Liberation Party) is a transnational Muslim political movement which has caught the attention of experts in Central Asian affairs over the recent years. It has become quite active in recruiting in Uzbekistan and neighboring countries and has met harsh repression, too. However, there has been […]

Women clergy have found a welcome reception ten years after the decision to ordain women in the Church of England, but it will be difficult for them to progress and achieve higher positions, writes Stephen Bates in The Tablet magazine (Feb. 28). There are now about 2,400 women clergy active in the Church of England (with a […]

A folk “saint” associated with traditional death cults known as La Santa Muerte is growing in popularity in Mexico and may be arriving in the U.S., drawing a following among both criminal elements and those seeking protection from such danger. The Los Angeles Times (March 19) reports that “Saint Death” has become so popular in some parts […]